By LIBBY CATHEY, LAUREN KING and STEPHANIE EBBS, ABC News
(MILWAUKEE) — In his third campaign for president, former Vice President Joe Biden — who found his “comeback kid” moment in South Carolina on this year’s primary trail — has formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in a speech Thursday — 33 years after he made his first bid for the White House.
Under day four’s theme of an “America’s Promise,” Biden assumed center stage at the Chase Center in Delaware — more than 800 miles away from Milwaukee, where the speech was slated to take place in person before the coronavirus pandemic upended the committee’s plans and forced a shift to a mostly virtual format.
Here’s how the night unfolded:
12:09 a.m. Q&A with DNC Chairman Tom Perez
DNC Chairman Tom Perez, in response to criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders and others who felt like progressives did not get enough speaking time this week, pointed to the virtual format which “makes it harder to accommodate everyone.”
“We usually have about six hours of speaking opportunities over each day, over four days. So that’s about 24 hours,” he told ABC News. ” We have this time around roughly 20% of that.”
“So it makes it harder to accommodate everyone. I think what our program has reflected is the broad diversity of our party,” he said.
Q: Is the roll call here to stay?
Perez said the virtual roll call “may be a trend of the future,” because “it really allowed us to highlight our rich tapestry as a party and the beauty of our nation.”
Q: Thoughts on next week’s Republican National Convention?
He declined to preview any Democratic counter-programming for the Republican National Convention — but predicted that Americans won’t be able to identify with the GOP program next week.
“This was a convention for everyone, not just a convention for Democrats,” he said. “They seek to divide and conquer. That’s their strategy.”
“I’ll be really interested to see the long array of Democrats for Trump next week, because this president has so alienated so many people,” he joked.
11:47 p.m. Trump’s real-time responses
Throughout the final night of the DNC, President Donald Trump tweeted out his comments and appeared on Fox News.
During Biden’s acceptance speech, he wrote, “In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words!”
Earlier, during a call-in interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump mused about whether he will watch Thursday night’s convention.
“I don’t know (if) I’ll be able to watch all of it,” he initially said, before adding, “I’m going to be watching. I watched a lot of hate last night and the night before. I watched tremendous hate.”
11:35 p.m. Obama pledges to do ‘everything’ to make sure Biden elected
In a Twitter post following Biden’s remarks, former President Barack Obama referred to Biden as “our next president” and made a call for action.
“Tonight our next President @JoeBiden made the case for his vision for this country and his plan to get there. I’ll be doing everything I can over these next 75 days to make sure we get it done,” Obama wrote.
11:20 p.m. Supporters outside Chase Center honk horns, flash lights for Biden
Following Biden’s acceptance speech, the supporters who participated in the drive-in watch party outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, flashed their vehicle lights and honked their horns.
Joe and Jill Biden walked outside, followed by Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff, and stepped onto another stage to wave to the crowd and watch fireworks.
While people had largely remained socially distanced throughout the evening in the parking lot, that quickly went out the window when Biden appeared, with groups rushing towards the stage.
11:16 p.m. Biden: ‘We can rebuild together’
“What we know about this president is if he’s given four more years, he’ll be what he’s been for the last four years. A president who takes no responsibility, refuses to lead, blames others, cozies up to dictators and fans the flames of hate and division. He’ll wake up every day believing the job is all about him, never about you. Is that the America you want for you, your family, your children?” Biden said.
“I see a different America. One that’s generous and strong, selfless and humble. It’s an America we can rebuild together. As president, the first step I will take will be to get control of the virus that has ruined so many lives, because I understand something this president hasn’t from the beginning, we will never get our economy back on track,” he added.
11:11 p.m. Biden: ‘This is a life-changing election’
All elections are important, Biden said, but “we know in our bones this one is more consequential.”
“This is a life-changing election. This will determine what America’s going to look like for a long, long time. Character is on the ballot. Compassion is on the ballot. Decency, science, democracy. They’re all on the ballot. Who we are as a nation, what we stand for, and most importantly, who we want to be, that’s all on the ballot. And the choice could not be more clear. No rhetoric is needed,” Biden said.
11:02 p.m. Biden: ‘I will draw on the best of us, not the worst’
Biden stepped up to the podium and quoted human rights activist Ella Baker, “Give people light and they will find the way.”
“Here and now I give you my word. If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not the darkness. It is time for us, for we, the people, to come together. And make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America. We will choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege,” Biden said.
“I’m a proud Democrat and I will be proud to carry the banner of our party into the general election. So it’s with great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America,” he said. “But while I’ll be a democratic candidate, I will be an American president. I’ll work hard for those who didn’t support me, as hard for them as I did for those who did vote for me. That’s the job of a president, to represent all of us, not just our base or our party. This is not a partisan moment. This must be an American moment.”
10:53 p.m. Biden accepts the nomination
Soon after taking the stage, former Vice President Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for president.
“It’s with great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America,” he said.
10:34 p.m. Former competitors recall Biden on the campaign trail
In opening a “United We Stand” segment, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Biden is right, “this is a contest for the soul of the nation.”
“And to me, that contest is not between good Americans and evil Americans. It’s the struggle to call out what is good in every American,” he said.
During a video conference, his former 2020 competitors told stories about Biden.
“In Joe Biden, you have a human being who is empathetic, who is honest, who is decent and in this particular moment in American history, my God, that is something that this country absolutely needs,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “In Joe Biden, you have a human being who is empathetic, who is honest, who is decent and in this particular moment in American history, my God, that is something that this country absolutely needs.” https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/Fr5wCM70k2
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 21, 2020
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in solo remarks, mocked Trump.
“Trump says we should vote for him because he’s a great businessman,” he said. “Really?!”
Michael Bloomberg: “I’m not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he’s a bad guy. I’m urging you to vote against him because he’s done a bad job.” https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/05p3RNnqKC
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 21, 2020
“I’m not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he’s a bad guy,” Bloomberg said. “I’m urging you to vote against him because he’s done a bad job.”
10:24 p.m. Veterans Tammy Duckworth and Ed Good say Biden committed to military, cares about duty
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a combat military veteran addressed the Bidens’ commitment to the military and military families.
“At the last convention, I told the story of the day I almost died in 2004, when an RPG tore through the Black Hawk I was flying over Iraq—the story of how my buddies risked their lives to save mine. But there’s another story of that day—Bryan’s. When I was wounded, he rushed to Walter Reed. When I woke up, he held my hand and helped me through the excruciating pain. He was my anchor as I relearned to walk, helping me through every step, every stumble. You see, military service doesn’t just take courage and sacrifice from those in uniform—they’re required from their families, too,” she said. “Joe Biden understands those sacrifices, because he has made them himself. When his son Beau enlisted in the Army and deployed to Iraq, that burden was shouldered by his family as well.”
She continued, “That’s the kind of leader our service members deserve: a leader who would actually honor their sacrifices. But they don’t have that in our current commander in chief, who’s either unwilling or incapable of doing so.”
Ahead of her remarks, World War II and Korean War veteran Ed Good said he has been a Republican since the 1960s, is a member of the NRA and voted for Trump, but things “Trump has been the worst president we’ve ever had, so I’ll be glad to see him go.”
“When I wear a uniform, I wear only two badges: my parachute wings and the combat infantry badge. I did make one combat jump over the Rhine in Germany, and I’m proud of that.,” Good said.
“I think Joe Biden will be a great leader for the United States. Like me, on the day of my jump into Germany, I think Joe Biden cares about doing his proper duty for the United States. And if he’s elected, that’s what he will do,” he added.
10:14 p.m. California, Michigan secretaries of state talk about mail voting and Trump’s use of it
The secretaries of state of California, Alex Padilla, and Michigan, Jocelyn Benson spoke about the safety and security of vote-by-mail and the president’s utilization of the system, despite his false attacks on the integrity of the process.
“So let’s talk about this election. Despite what he says, Donald Trump can’t cancel it. But he and Republicans are making it too hard for so many to cast their ballots. And now he’s attacking vote-by-mail to distract and confuse voters,” Padilla said.
Benson added, “And let’s be clear: there is absolutely zero difference between voting by mail and voting absentee. Millions of Americans have been voting absentee for decades. Donald Trump, his family, his staff — they all vote by mail. In fact, in states like Colorado, Utah, and Oregon voters have been voting by mail for years. Republicans and Democrats agree: it is safe.”
Padilla and Benson renewed Sen. Kamala Harris’ calls for Americans to establish a voting plan, warning voters that if results come at a delay in November, their ballot is still safe.
“Don’t let anyone keep you from exercising your most sacred right,” Padilla said. “Make your plan to vote. Grab your mask and head to the polls the first day they’re open. Or request your ballot and send it in right away. And know this: Election results may take a little longer this year, but Democrats will fight to make sure your ballot is counted.”
— ABC News’ Meg Cunningham
10:03 p.m. Focus on Biden’s family, personal story
Throughout the final night of the convention, members of Biden’s family are expected to speak about him, including videos featuring his children, grandchildren and a tribute to his son Beau Biden who died of cancer in 2015.
The program will also highlight parts of Biden’s personal story and people he’s connected with on the campaign trail.
Brayden Harrington, a 13-year-old boy from Concord, New Hampshire, who bonded with Biden at a campaign stop in February over his struggle with a stutter, will appear in a primetime video.
In a short preview of the video, Harrington talks about what Biden taught him about dealing with a stutter, and how he used those techniques to give his remarks in the video.
Biden has been open about his struggles with a stutter since he was a child, often bringing it up on the campaign trail when talking about overcoming adversity.
— ABC News’ Alisa Wiersema and John Verhovek
9:54 p.m. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sarah Cooper roast Trump
Night four’s emcee Julia Louis-Dreyfus of “Seinfeld” and “Veep” fame, is taking this opportunity to roast the current administration, especially President Donald Trump.
In her first bit, she and Andrew Yang did a bit mispronouncing Vice President Mike Pence’s name — potentially a reference to both Pence, Trump and Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson repeatedly mispronouncing Kamala (COMMA-la) Harris’ name.
And she pronounced it differently again 35 minutes into the program — pronouncing it “Poonce”
Referencing Joe Biden’s love for Amtrak, saying he even reads their magazine “Arrive,” Louis-Dreyfus implies Trump doesn’t read, saying, “Joe Biden not only knows how to read but also he reads everything.”
She took a dig at the fact that the president still hasn’t released his tax returns and, in a cutting remark, she took aim at the president for the incident in Lafayette Square outside the White House, when peaceful protestors were met with chemical irritants and made to disperse right before Trump went to St. Johns Church for a photo op with a bible.
“Just remember, Joe Biden goes to church so regularly that he doesn’t even need tear gas and a bunch of federalized troops to help him get there,” she said.
Louis-Dreyfus also took a shot at the fact that Trump votes by mail — despite him railing against it.
“Joe Biden shares John Lewis’ belief that every vote matters. Personally, I plan to follow the example of six current cabinet members, vice president Pence (pronounced, Poonce), and President Trump himself, and vote by mail.”
Sen. Kamala Harris sent along her support via Twitter, writing “.@OfficialJLD, veep to veep, you’re crushing it!”
Comedian Sarah Cooper, known for her videos lipsynching the president, also appeared.
In a video clip, she mouthed along as Trump talked about mail-in ballots.
“Where are they going? Where are these ballots going? Who’s getting, who is not getting them in the section that’s Republican? Will they be stolen from mailboxes as they get put in by the mailman? Will that be taken from the mailman in the mail women?” Trump can be heard saying.
Cooper then delivered a serious message urging Americans to vote and not believe disinformation.
–ABC News’ Quinn Scanlan and Molly Nagle
9:43 p.m. Historian Jon Meacham: ‘This is a grave moment in America’
Historian Jon Meacham opened his remarks at the final night of the DNC quoting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“In his final Sunday sermon, days before his death, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘We are tied together in the single garment of destiny. … This is the way God’s universe is made; this is the way it is structured.’ A single garment of destiny. We the people cannot escape that reality. Nor, as Lincoln taught us, can you and I escape history,” he said.
“This is a grave moment in America: A deadly virus is ravaging us; our jobs are evaporating; our faith in the things that bind us together is fraying, for our democracy is under assault from an incumbent more interested in himself than he is in the rest of us. Extremism, nativism, isolationism, and a lack of economic opportunity for working people are all preventing us from realizing our nation’s promise. And so we must decide whether we will continue to be prisoners of the darkest of American forces, or will we free ourselves to write a brighter, better, nobler story? That’s the issue of this election: a choice that goes straight to the nature of the soul of America,” he continued.
After listing moments in American history where “our story has soared when we’ve built bridges, not walls; when we’ve lent a hand, not when we’ve pointed fingers; when we’ve hoped, not feared.”
“From Jamestown forward, our story has become fuller and fairer because of people who share a conviction that Dr. King articulated on that Sunday half a century ago: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Bending that arc requires all of us. It requires we, the people, and it requires a president of the United States with empathy, grace, a big heart, and an open mind. Joe Biden will be such a president,” he said.
9:35 p.m. Atlanta mayor on the march toward progress
Before kicking off a tribute to the late-Rep. John Lewis, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms spoke from the “cradle of the civil rights movement” and said that like so many other cities, it’s a place where the struggle for human dignity continues.
“I’m proud to have grown up in this city, educated in its public schools and blessed to have known our “hometown heroes” like Dr. Joseph Lowery, Dr. C. T. Vivian, and our teacher, our friend, our conscience, our congressman, John Lewis,” she said. “He walked gently amongst us—not as a distant icon, but as a God-fearing man, doing what he could do to fulfill the as-yet unfulfilled promise of America.”
“People often think they can’t make a difference like our civil rights icons, but every person in the movement mattered—those who made the sandwiches, swept the church floors, stuffed the envelopes. They, too, changed America. And so can we! The baton has now been passed to each of us,” she continued.
She then encouraged people to vote because, “in the words of womanist poet Audre Lorde, ‘your silence will not protect you."”
“Congressman Lewis would not be silenced. And neither can we. Our votes can be our voice,” she said. “We cannot wait for some other time, some other place, some other heroes. We must be the heroes of our generation, because we, too, are America.”
9:20 p.m. Coons: Biden will ‘be a president for Americans of all faith’
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., spoke about he’s known Joe Biden for 30 years that he’s seen the former vice president’s faith in action.
“People of faith have long led change, from abolition and women’s suffrage to the labor movement and the struggle for civil rights. Joe Biden will continue that progressive march towards justice, inspired by respect for the dignity of all people, people Joe believes were made in the image of God. Joe learned that from his parents and the nuns and priests right here in Delaware who taught him and inspired in him a passion for justice,” Coons said.
“More than anything, Joe is a man of faith and conscience. He’ll be a president for Americans of all faiths, as well as people of conscience who practice no particular faith. Joe’s faith is really about our future, about a world with less suffering and more justice, where we’re better stewards of creation, where we have a more just immigration policy, and where we call out and confront the original sins of this nation, the sins of slavery and racism. Joe knows these are central issues in this election and, for him, they’re rooted in faith,” he continued.
9:13 p.m. Yang: ‘Recovery is only possible with a change of leadership and new ideas’
In his remarks at the DNC, former 2020 candidate Andrew Yang asked that people join him in helping “Joe and Kamala fight for the promise of America, turn the page for our country and lead us forward to a future we will actually be proud to leave our children.”
“We are in a deep, dark hole, and we need leaders who will help dig us out,” Yang said. “I know many politicians promise and then fail to deliver. I understand if you voted for Trump, or didn’t vote at all, back in 2016. Many of us have gotten tired of our leaders seeming far removed from our everyday lives. We despair that our government will ever rise to the challenges of our time. But we must give this country a chance to recover — and recovery is only possible with a change of leadership and new ideas.”
9:07 p.m. California governor addresses DNC near wildfires
California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the DNC about a mile away from the wildfires in his state.
“Climate change is real,” he said. “If you are in denial about climate change, come to California.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the DNC about a mile away from the wildfires in his state: “Climate change is real. If you are in denial about climate change, come to California.” https://t.co/1owZh91S94 #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/ehpZxEIi4t
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 21, 2020
9 p.m. DNC chair calls Mike Bloomberg ‘important part’ of Democratic Party
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez on Thursday praised Michael Bloomberg’s contributions to the Democratic Party amid criticism of his primetime speaking slot, calling him “an important part of our United Democratic front.”
“I can only speak from my own experience, and our experience with the mayor has been incredibly constructive and positive,” Perez told ABC News in an interview.
“Every single candidate who’s run for president has delivered on all of their commitments. And I think the most important commitment was, if they don’t win the nomination, they will be fully throated behind Joe Biden. Our unity is indeed our greatest strength. And I think is Donald Trump’s worst nightmare. And Michael Bloomberg is an important part of our United Democratic front.”
The billionaire former mayor of New York City, one of the party’s biggest donors, has come under fire this week for his ongoing legal battles with former presidential campaign staffers who accuse him on reneging on a commitment to keep them employed through the November election.
“Michael Bloomberg should not be speaking tonight,” Brianna Westbrook, a former Sanders surrogate and Arizona Democratic Party official, tweeted earlier Thursday.
One group of former field staffers suing the mayor sent Perez an open letter calling on him to remove Bloomberg from the DNC program this week.
“I haven’t reviewed their lawsuit,” he said when asked if they had valid legal claims. “Because I’ve focused 100% on this convention and electing Joe Biden.”
Perez said the party has “hired many Bloomberg alumni,” and interviewed or offered jobs to over 600 former Bloomberg campaign staffers.
“I appreciate what the mayor has done. He kept his word to us when he said, ‘I’m in it to win it. If I’m not in it, I will be supporting the Biden campaign and the DNC.’ And he has done that,” Perez said. “I really appreciate the folks who are on our campaigns right now from his team.”
— ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel
8:54 p.m. Rev. Warnock: ‘Soul of our nation really does hang in the balance’
The Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church told ABC News’ Tom Llamas that this election clearly has consequences.
“We say all the time that elections have consequences. That feels like a gross understatement this year. The soul of our nation really does hang in the balance,” he said on ABC News Live.
“We say all the time that elections have consequences. That feels like a gross understatement this year. The soul of our nation really does hang in the balance,” @ReverendWarnock, senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, tells @TomLllamasABC. https://t.co/gJemYCbmNX pic.twitter.com/oHDIsZivid
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) August 21, 2020
8:53 p.m. Drive-in watch party outside the Chase Center
DNC volunteers have set up an invite-only, drive-in watch party in front of the Chase Center. Many of the people in attendance are Delaware politicians, organizers, and some are friends of the Bidens.
Betty F. Mitchell said she was personally invited by the Biden campaign. Mitchell met Biden several years ago, a few weeks before his wife and daughter died in a car accident. Mitchell said they’ve met twice since then and he even left her a note in her book which she summarized as: “Betty, I love you, it has been so many years since our last drink.”
“He was kidding, we didn’t have any drinks,” she said while chuckling.
Mitchell says the most important message Biden is bringing to the party is “unity.”
We also interviewed Delaware State Sen. Stephanie Mitchell who says she brought chips, guacamole, and a lot of chocolate for the long night ahead. Many of the attendees have decorated their cars with Biden/Harris signs, patriotic quilts, and American flags. We’ll be feeding live beauties and MOS from this position throughout the night.
8:43 p.m. Protests in Wisconsin, Delaware
In Milwaukee, a protest drew a crowd of approximately 150 demonstrators. There was some brief tension at the outset. While family members of several victims of police shootings spoke to a rally before the march, a scuffle broke out between protesters and mounted police.
A small anti-abortion group using a bullhorn attempted to outshout the speakers. As some rallygoers confronted them, police on horseback and bicycles moved in to keep the groups apart. The Coalition to March on the DNC protesters hurled insults at the police but nothing worse.
Meanwhile, those family members told detailed stories of loved ones lost in what they called “police crimes” around the state. They included relatives of three black men, Alvin Cole, Jay Anderson and Antonio Gonzalez, all allegedly killed by the same Wauwatosa officer.
Their stories of alleged police brutality included calls for police accountability, defunding and other reforms.
At the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, where Sen. Kamala Harris gave her acceptance speech Wednesday and Joe Biden is to speak tonight, few protesters have been seen.
Outside the convention center a man held a Trump, Pence sign, a boater glided down the Christiana River with a Trump 2020 sign on his boat. And in the air above him was a small plane carrying a sign that read “Joe Biden is losing it — vote Trump 2020.”
Thursday evening, the crowd of Trump supporters outside the Chase Center grew to about four dozen. Most were not wearing masks and tcarried signs saying “Beijing Biden” and chanting “Back the Blue.”
They’ve positioned themselves along the security barriers where they’re more visible to members of the press.
— ABC News’ Andy Fies, Alex Perez and Armando Garcia
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
8:06 p.m. NBA superstar Steph Curry and family endorse Biden
NBA superstar Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha Curry, a best-selling author and entrepreneur, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden and appeared in a video featuring their children, Riley and Ryan.
“We want to ensure that our kids live in a nation that is safe, happy, healthy and fair,” Ayesha Curry says in the video
“So this election — we’re voting for Joe Biden,” Steph Curry cuts in.
Per the Biden campaign, the video that plays tonight will offer a “candid look at a family conversation about politics and the state of America,” and features Curry asking his two children to react to the news that Biden has selected a woman as his vice president.
Curry also endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016.
— ABC News’ John Verhovek
7:56 p.m. Kamala Harris urged Americans to make a ‘voting plan.’ Here’s how:
In her opening remarks Wednesday, Sen. Kamala Harris encouraged Americans to form a plan to vote in November.
“I know many of you plan to vote this year, but amidst the excitement and enthusiasm for this election, you’ve also heard about obstacles and misinformation and folks making it harder for you to cast your ballot,” she said.
“When we vote, we address the need for all people to be treated with dignity and respect in our country,” Harris continued. “So each of us needs a plan. A voting plan.”
The coronavirus pandemic brought on a number of changes to the way elections are conducted across the country, with a massive expansion of absentee and vote-by-mail programs.
While those issues are still being addressed and amid a variety of voting options, here’s what you need to know to form a plan to vote in November:
— ABC News’ Meg Cunningham
7:51 p.m. Intro video clip focuses on 2008 economic recovery
Ahead of Biden’s speech, the campaign released a clip of the introduction video for the former vice president that will play during the DNC. The clip focuses on Biden’s work on the 2008 economic recovery and how the lessons he learned as a child about financial hardship impacted him for the rest of his life.
“For the first time, Joe saw the heavy burden on a father, and It was a lesson he would never forget,” the narrator says as childhood photos of Biden and his family appear on screen.
“A job, is a lot more than paycheck. It’s about dignity,” a woman’s voice is heard saying — a sentiment Biden’s father would tell the family and that Biden often repeats on the campaign trail.
The clip focuses on Biden’s bipartisan work to get the recovery package passed and touts his role running the program.
7:33 p.m. New Mexico governor: Lack of Latino representation is ‘easy criticism to launch at the DNC’
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tells ABC News’ Linsey Davis that a lack of Latino representation is an “easy criticism to launch at the DNC.”
“I have not seen any campaign do enough in any context to really reach Latino and Hispanic voters,” she said in an appearance on ABC News Live Prime.
7:18 p.m. Excerpts from Yang, Bottoms, Baldwin and Buttigieg remarks
Convention officials released some excerpts of remarks from Andrew Yang, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who are scheduled to speak before Joe Biden formally accepts the nomination.
Bottoms is expected to invoke the late Rep. John Lewis and the Civil Rights movement to push the country to vote.
“People often think they can’t make a difference like our Civil Rights icons, but every person in the movement mattered—those who made the sandwiches, swept the church floors, stuffed the envelopes. They, too, changed America,” she says in the prepared remarks. “We have cried out for justice, we have gathered in our streets to demand change, and now, we must pass on the gift John Lewis sacrificed to give us, we must register and we must vote.”
Baldwin is set to lay out a vision for the country under Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris’ stewardship.
“We all have stories like this. Stories about a time when the system was rigged against us. When we were counted out, left out, pushed out. Just think of what we’ve heard these past four days,” she will say, adding that an America under Biden and Harris will be a nation that “plans,” “builds” and “builds back.”
The two former 2020 candidates, who are also set to be featured in a video with some of their other formal rivals, are expected to share why they are now lining up behind Biden and outline the stakes of the election.
“I have gotten to know both Joe and Kamala on the trail over the past year — the way you really get to know a person when the cameras are off, the crowds are gone, and it’s just you and them. They understand the problems we face. They are parents and patriots who want the best for our country. And if we give them the chance, they will fight for us and our families every single day,” Yang will say.
“Every American must now decide. Can America be a place where faith is about healing and not exclusion? Can we become a country that lives up to the truth that Black lives matter? Will we handle questions of science and medicine by turning to scientists and doctors? What will we do to make America into a land where no one who works full time can live in poverty,” Buttigieg will say in his remarks.
— ABC News’ Kendall Karson
7:11 p.m. Trump slams Biden near Pennsylvania childhood home hours before his DNC speech
President Donald Trump headed to the 2020 battleground state of Pennsylvania Thursday afternoon to make a campaign speech in the town of Old Forge, just a few miles from former Vice President Joe Biden’s childhood home in Scranton — and just hours before Biden makes his own speech accepting his party’s nomination for president in his adopted home state of Delaware.
“If you want a vision of your life under Biden presidency, think of the smoldering ruins in Minneapolis, the violent anarchy of Portland, the bloodstained sidewalks of Chicago, and imagine the mayhem coming to your town, and every single town in America,” Trump said.
Here is Thursday’s lineup of speakers:
- Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.
- Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom
- Atlanta, Georgia, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
- Sen.Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.
- Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.
- Andrew Yang
- Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg
- Former Vice President Joe Biden
With performances from:
- The Chicks
- John Legend and Common
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
